Auxiliary ski for physically handicapped persons

ABSTRACT

A novel auxiliary ski for physically handicapped persons, comprising a ski runner having a through hole therein, a pair of guide plate members erected from the ski runner, and a pole rotatably supported between the guide plate members. Each guide plate member has a pair of pole locking slots formed at two different positions in the lengthwise direction of the pole, and a guiding slot connecting the pair of pole locking slots. The pole is lockable at one of the pole locking slots and is movable, along the guiding slot, in its lengthwise direction with respect to the ski runner and further lockable at the other of the pole locking slots, whereby the lowermost tip of the pole can either be retained within the through hole of the ski runner or be protruded through said hole down to below the ski runner.

[ Feb. 25, 1975 AUXILIARY SKI FOR PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED PERSONS Inventor:

Takafusa Negi, Hamamatsu, Japan Assignee: Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka-ken, Japan Filed: June 21, 1973 Appl. No.: 372,179

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 26, 1972 Japan 47-63867 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 57,416 8/1866 Ware 135/59 3,738,674 6/1973 Pauls 280/1 137 B FORElGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 138,412 7/1934 Austria ..280/l1.37R 1,002,013 10/1951 France 135/59 1,035,318 7/1958 Germany 135/53 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Washington Post; Times Herald, Feb. 13, 1955.

Primary Examiner-Trygve M. Blix Assistant Examiner-Stephen G. Kunin Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Ostrolenk, Faber, Gerb & Soffen [57] ABSTRACT A novel auxiliary ski for physically handicapped persons, comprising a ski runner having a through hole therein, a pair of guide plate members erected from the ski runner, and a pole rotatably supported between the guide plate members. Each guide plate member has a pair of pole locking slots formed at two different positions in the lengthwise direction of the pole, and a guiding slot connecting the pair of pole locking slots. The pole is lockable at one of the pole locking slots and is movable, along the guiding slot, in its lengthwise direction with respect to the ski runner and further lockable at the other of the pole locking slots, whereby the lowermost tip of the pole can either be retained within the through hole of the ski runner or be protruded through said hole down to below the ski runner.

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED 1975 3, 868 l 2 2 sum 1 or 3 FIG.|

PATENIEB FEB 2 5 I975 sum 2 53 PATENTED P55251975 3.868.122

sumsa PIC-3.3

AUXILIARY SKI FOR PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED PERSONS,

This invention relates to an improved ski for the physically handicapped persons, especially for the onelegged or lame persons. More particularly, the invention relates to a crutch-like ski which is used auxiliarily by such persons.

In recent years, many 'a kind of sport has become popular among the physically handicapped persons, especially, after the opening of paralympic, International Stoke Mandeville Games. Increasing attention has come to be paid to the sports for such persons as onearmed, one-eyed, one-legged or lame persons using wheel chairs, crutches or the like. As far as the skiing is concerned, however, it has been regarded as impossible for the one-legged or lame persons to ski owing to the difficulties of principle and techniques in the ski running. Accordingly, even when such persons want to do, they can not practise skiing, and it has been beyond possibility to hold a skiing contest.

Therefore, the principal object of the present invention is to answer their hopes by proposing a novel ski. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved ski which can be easily used by the physically handicapped persons such as one-legged or lame persons without any difficult training and handling.

Pursuant to the above-mentioned objects, the ski of the invention comprises a ski runner having a through hole therein, a pair of guide plate members erected from the ski runner, and a pole rotatably supported on the ski runner and between the guide plate members, and movable in its lengthwise direction with respect to the ski runner, each guide plate member having a pair of pole locking slots formed at two different positions in the lengthwise direction of the pole, and further having a guiding slot connecting the pair of pole locking slots, whereby the pole is lockable at one of the pole locking slots and movable, along the guiding slot, in its lengthwise direction with respect to the ski runner and further lockable at the other of the pole locking slots, so that the lowermost tip of the pole can either be retained within the through hole of the ski runner or be protruded through the hole down to below the ski runner. To facilitate the movement of the pole in its lengthwise direction, the pole may be given a biasing force by means such as a coiled compression spring interposed between the pole and the ski runner. This ski can be used auxiliarily like a pair of crutches for the lame persons on the snow. In the running on a descending slope, the lowermost tip of the pole is retained within or above the through hole to keep the smooth running surface of the ski runner; and when walking on a flat or ascending slope, the lowermost tip of the pole is projected below the through hole without any difficult operation so as to enable a usual sticking operation.

These and other features and characteristics of the invention will be explained in more detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical side view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional front view of said embodiment showing the relation between the ski runner and the pole;

FIG. 3 is also a cross-sectional front view of said embodiment showing the lowermost end of said pole projected below the ski runner; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a man using the skis of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes the middle portion of a ski runner, to which a pole 2 is attached in the substantially vertical direction through a pair of guide plate members 3 mentioned below in detail. In said middle portion 1 of the ski runner, a through hole 4 is formed to receive therethrough the lower portion 5 of said pole 2. The lower most tip of said portion 5 is provided with a ferrule 6, and the upper portion of said pole 2 is provided with an arm ring 7 and a hand grip 8, both of which extend to the forward side of the ski 1, that is, to the left-hand side of FIG. 1. The pole 2 between the arm ring 7 and handgrip 8 is a little inclined to the rear direction and the lower portion 5 of the pole 2 stands vertically upward.

The pair of guide-plate members 3 are erected from:

both sides of the middle portion 1 of the ski runner, so that the guide plate members 3 face each other, leaving a space therebetween, as shown in FIG. 2. A pipe 9 is rotatably supported in the space between the guide plate members 3 by means of sockets 10 fixed to the The lower portion 5 of the pole 2 comprises a shaft 13 inserted in the pipe 9 and slidable therethrough. The shaft 13 is provided with theabove-mentioned ferrule 6 at the lowermost end thereof and has a cutout portion or portion 14 reduced in diameter at the upper section thereof. The cutout portion 14 of the shaft 13 terminates at a flanged uppermost end 15 of the shaft 13. The lower portion 5 of the pole 2 further comprises an intermediate pipe 16, which is telescopically inserted around the pipe 9 and in which the cutout portion 14 of the shaft 13 is encased so as to form a ring-shaped enclosed space or chamber between the cutout portion 14 and the pipe 16. Into the ring-shaped space is housed a coiled compression spring 17, which is abutted on the upper edge 18 of the pipe 9 at its lowermost end and on the flanged end 15 of the shaft 13 at its uppermost end. The intermediate pipe 16 extends above the flanged uppermost end 15 of the shaft 13, and a joint 18 is inserted within the upper portion of the pipe 16. The intermediate pipe 16 and the joint 18 is cou-' pled together by means of a pin 19. The point 18 is further connected to a main pipe 20 by a screw 21.

The intermediate pipe 16 is provided with internally threaded sockets 22 at its lower portion, the sockets 22 extending toward the guide plate. members 3, respectively. Around each socket 22 is rotatably fixed a flanged guide roller 23 by means of an externally threaded screw 24 tightly screwed into the socket 22. Each guide plate member 3 is perforated with an elongated slot 25, which extends at the upper portion of the guide plate member 3, depicting an arc of a circle having a center at the bolt 11, namely, at a pivot of the rotatable pole 2. The guide plate member 3 is further perforated with a slot 26 existing at the lower portion of the guide plate member 3 and shorter than the slot 25.

v of a length to be projectable through said through hole 3 ,8 6 8, 1 22 5 6 10. A ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pole is locking slots, and so as to be protruded below said ski runner when said uidin means is located within the formed in said ski runner, said pole being positioned so g g as to be above the lower surface of said ski runner when said guiding means is locked within one of said pole 5 other of said pole locking slots. 

1. A ski composing; a ski runner having a through hole therein; a guide member erected from said ski runner; a pole next to and tiltably supported with respect to said guide plate member and said pole being movable in its lengthwise direction with respect to said ski runner, said guide plate member having a pair of pole locking slots formed at two different positions in the lengthwise direction of said pole and further having a guiding slot interconnecting said pair of pole locking slots; and guiding means fixed to said pole and movable along said pole locking slots and guiding slot, said guiding means being lockable within said pole locking slots, locking of said guiding means within one of said pole locking slots permitting said pole to be retained in one of its movable positions in the lengthwise direction thereof, locking of said guiding means within the other of said pole locking slots permitting said pole to be retained in another of its movable positions in the lengthwise direction thereof; said tiltable supporting of said pole is effected by rotatably pivoting said pole with respect to the guide plate member about a pivot, and said one of said pole locking slots is located more distant from said pivot of said pole than the other of said pole locking slots, and is elongated and curvedly shaped to define an arc of a circle having a center at said pivot of said pole.
 2. A ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein said the other of said pole locking slots is elongated and curvedly shaped to define an arc of a circle having a center at said pivot off said pole.
 3. A ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein said guiding slot interconnects one end of said one of said pole locking slots with said the other of said pole locking slots, said guiding slot being directed toward said pivot of said pole.
 4. A ski as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for subjecting said pole to a biasing force with respect to said ski runner.
 5. A ski as claimed in claim 4, wherein there are two said guide plate members arranged on opposite sides of said pole and having their respective said slots aligned.
 6. A ski as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a pole guiding pipe tiltably supported between said pair of guide plate members, said pole being slidably inserted in said pole guiding pipe.
 7. A ski as claimed in claim 6, wherein said pole comprises a shaft slidable within said pole guiding pipe and having a portion reduced in diameter, and an intermediate pipe telescopically inserted around said pole guiding pipe, said intermediate pipe surrounding said portion reduced in diameter so as to form a rounded space therebetween, said means for subjecting said pole to a biasing force being housed within said rounded space.
 8. A ski as claimed in claim 7, wherein said means for subjecting said pole to a biasing force is a coiled compression spring winding around said reduced portion of said shaft.
 9. A ski as claimed in claim 7, wherein said guiding means is fixed to said intermediate pipe.
 10. A ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pole is of a length to be projectable through said through hole formed in said ski runner, said pole being positioned so as to be above the lower surface of said ski runner when said guiding means is locked within one of said pole locking slots, and so as to be protruded below said ski runner when said guiding means is located within the other of said pole locking slots. 